Bureau officials officially kicked off their 2010 count of Americans this week, urging everyone who is asked to fill out a census questionnaire to do so. We join them in that plea.

Conducted every 10 years, the census is more than a curiosity, telling us how many Americans live where. It is critical in the realm of politics.

Population numbers are used to decide how many members of the House of Representatives are allocated to each state. Minnesota is in danger this year of falling below the population figure needed to keep our eight U.S. representatives. It would be a shame to lose one because some people didn’t want to fill out a form.

Here within our state, the numbers also are used to set district boundaries for state legislative districts.

Census figures have a concrete, dollars-and-cents importance, too. They are used to determine how federal funding to localities and states is doled out. The more residents a city or state has, the more federal money it can receive.

That makes it critical that accurate counts be made by the Census Bureau. That can be done only if everyone contacted, by mail or in person by a census representative, responds to questions honestly and quickly. …

Sacrifices must be made across the board

The Free Press of Mankato

Jan. 11

The warning from Gov. Tim Pawlenty to school districts—and public employers in general—is clear: Failure to hold the line on wages and benefits may result in significant cuts in state funding.

The admonition is reasonable and must be taken seriously.

For all his budget-cutting, no-new-taxes actions, the governor can’t be accused of being unfriendly when it comes to school funding. It is the one area he has worked to maintain funding levels during his tenure.

His anger over some school districts—and other local governments—negotiating pay and benefit increases is shared by the public, amid the backdrop of stagnant and often falling wages in the private sector.

…

Expecting public employees to hold the line on pay and benefit increases need not be viewed as union bashing or jealousy. Most public employees are, like most Minnesotans, dedicated and hard working.

At a time when employees in virtually every sector of the economy are sharing in the pain of economic decline and slow recovery, the public sector should be no different.

Too often, those elected and appointed to public office forget who they are ultimately responsible to when contract negotiations come around: their constituents and taxpayers.

Those responsible for negotiating contracts can and should view their employees as a valuable resource. But their obligation is to do their part in holding the line on wage and benefit increases in times of crisis. …

Free speech covers crude cartoons

St. Cloud Times

Jan. 13

Last week’s decision by two county attorneys not to prosecute a man for posting disgusting, distasteful, anti-Islamic cartoons in the area should bring to an end another growing pain for Central Minnesota as its population becomes more diverse.

While there are some potential lesser charges the city of St. Cloud could pursue against the man—namely posting material on a utility pole—one look around the city at such poles indicates such an ordinance isn’t enforced; why start now?

Realistically, and as Benton County Attorney Robert Raupp and Stearns County Attorney Janelle Kendall made clear in their findings, the First Amendment, the man’s claim to be trying to educate others, and the state’s standards for obscenity and hate-crime laws all combine to make it unlikely he could be convicted.

Therein lies an important lesson and strong statement about the protections provided for a person’s First Amendment rights.

…

So sure, it may trouble some local Muslims that no charges were brought—even if the man who posted them tried to defend them as his lame attempt to educate the community.

But the bigger point to take away—especially for new immigrants and others who feel targeted by public debates or displays—is that you can speak out and express your opinions without fear of government retribution.

Having heard somewhat regularly in recent years from new immigrants who wanted to express themselves in public but feared government backlash, we urge them to see this case as proof they, indeed, have a right to speak freely.

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